Ammunition supply indicator device

ABSTRACT

An ammunition supply indicator device installable in a firearm ( 11 ) the weapon ( 11 ) comprising a magazine ( 21 ) that includes several moveable means ( 22, 23 ) that slide in a longitudinal axial direction of the magazine ( 21 ); the device ( 12 ) comprising a specific number of receptor means ( 41 ) of the magnetic field generated by several actuator means ( 24 ) attached to the moveable means ( 22, 23 ), the level of the electrical signal depending on the relative distribution of the receptor means ( 31 ) in relation to the magazine ( 21 ), the type of material used to make the firearm ( 11 ), the magazine ( 21 ) and the position of the moveable means ( 22, 23 ).

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

This invention refers, in general, to a system that indicates the supply of ammunition and, in particular, to a device for a portable firearm that is able to communicate the number of cartridges with bullets in a magazine and to a system that includes the magazine and a portable firearm.

STATE OF THE ART

With portable firearms it is difficult to determine the number of cartridges with bullets left in a magazine to be fired and, therefore; to be prepared to replace the magazine.

Ammunition supply systems that include means for visually displaying the cartridges left in the magazine of a weapon are known in the prior art.

Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,495 details an alarm device for when the ammunition in a magazine is finished, where the handle of a weapon includes, in the direction of forward movement of the floor plate of the magazine, a plurality of Hall-effect sensors, the number of which corresponds exactly to the maximum number of cartridges that the magazine holds.

The floor plate incorporates a magnet, such that as the floor plate supporting the cartridges moves through the magazine, the magnet is positioned in front of each of the Hall-effect sensors, activating the Hall-effect sensor corresponding to the current position of the floor plate. An activation signal associated with the Hall-effect sensor in front of the floor plate is sent to the processing unit which reduces the initial cartridge count by one cartridge as a result of a shot being fired by the firearm.

The number of cartridges left is shown after each shot on a display device attached to the firearm itself.

The aforementioned device has certain disadvantages such as the complexity of implementing it as it requires a Hall-effect sensor for each position of the floor plate within the magazine.

The device may only be installed in weapons currently being manufactured and not in existing weapons and in all cases it requires the shape and even the mechanism of the weapon to be changed.

The device also has the disadvantage that the position of the Hall-effect sensors is suitable for a specific type of magazine and in the event of a change to the distribution of the ammunition in the magazine, for example, in line or staggered, or its caliber, the positions of the floor plate change, increasing the possibility of it functioning incorrectly, i.e. inaccurately which results in an inaccurate count of the ammunition contained in the magazine attached to the portable firearm. In this case, the weapon user cannot trust the number of cartridges displayed by the weapon, which may result in the user losing faith in the device and the user experience increasing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is intended to resolve or mitigate one or more of the disadvantages set out above by means of an ammunition supply indicator device as defined in the claims.

According to one embodiment an ammunition supply indicator device may be installed in a firearm, where the indicator device comprises a plurality of receptor means for a magnetic field generated by several actuator means attached to several moveable means of a magazine of a firearm; the number and distribution of the receptor means depending on the type of material used to make the firearm and the relative position of the indicator device in relation to the magazine when it is attached to the firearm.

The number and distribution of the receptors is not dependent on the type of magazine which includes a cartridge lifter that can slide in a longitudinal axial direction thereof from an in/out aperture to an end of the magazine, of the magnetic actuator means attachable to a spring means that pushes the cartridge lifter towards the out aperture, to the lifter itself or to a telescopic extension means placeable between the cartridge lifter and an end of the magazine.

The receptor means of the magnetic field generate in response to the magnetic field associated with the magnetic actuator means in a position reached by the cartridge lifter after it has moved, electrical signals that are sent to a processing unit that associates said received signal to a number of cartridges held in the magazine after the lifter has moved.

As the magnetic actuator associated with the moveable means of the magazine moves, the value of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic receptors varies, consequently, the signal processor is able to associate each position reached by the cartridge lifter with a number of cartridges held in the magazine as the lifter moves towards the in/out aperture of the magazine.

The magnetic receptors may be located substantially along at least one vertical axis included in at least one vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axial axis of the magazine, for example, in planes parallel to both sides of the handle of the firearm, such that they are excitable by the magnetic actuator when it moves together with the lifter.

Each receptor generates and sends an electrical signal depending on the magnetic field detected, to the processor which receives a plurality of electrical signals from different receptors and as a function of the signals received it associates a number of cartridges corresponding to the position of the lifter of the magazine.

The processor runs an instruction from a set of instructions stored in a storage unit. An instruction may be defined differently for different types of magazine, either by necessity as a result of the different technical possibilities of different types of magazine such as the number of cartridges it can hold, its storage method (in-line, staggered, etc.); or as a result of a choice made by the bearer of the firearm.

Consequently, the processor calculates the supply as a function of the different types of signals that can be associated with different numerical values, such that, depending on the values received it calculates the number of cartridges that are still held in the magazine.

The set of receptors is distributed with a view to preventing the generation of electrical signals corresponding to erroneous positions of the floor plate, i.e., the receptors are distributed with a view to preventing any part of the firearm from generating any interference with the correct operation of the measurement of the magnetic flow corresponding to each position of the floor plate, consequently, the location of the specified number of receptors will not necessarily correspond to a specified number of possible fixed positions of the floor plate moving the in/out aperture of the magazine.

As claimed in to another embodiment the indicator device includes magazine end detector means that enable it to be used with magazines of cartridges of different calibers and/or different cartridge storage types.

The indicator device is configurable as a separate element attachable to the handle of the weapon, consequently, its installation on the weapon does not require it to be modified, as it is an accessory external to it such that it can be fitted to existing weapons without the need for special tools or specific technical or assembly knowledge.

The indicator device includes a display means for visually displaying information related to the number of cartridges in the magazine. For example, number of remaining cartridges in the magazine, that the number of cartridges is below a given threshold regardless of the maximum number of cartridges that the magazine can hold. The display means may include a warning means that can emit different types of warning signals or alarms to the bearer of the weapon.

The indicator device includes an electrical power source that supplies electrical energy to each of its components.

The indicator device may be installed beneath the trigger and percussion mechanism of the weapon clamped onto its handle, in the case of short firearms or pistols. And the indicator device may be installed around the insertion aperture of the magazine in the case of long firearms.

SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES

A more detailed explanation of the devices and/or methods as claimed in to the embodiments of the invention is provided in the description below based on the attached figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a firearm that incorporates an ammunition supply indicator device,

FIG. 2 is a side view of a cartridge lifter and a cross section of a magazine incorporating the cartridge lifter,

FIG. 3 is a view of a butt of a handle of a firearm,

FIG. 4 is a side view of an ammunition supply indicator device,

FIG. 5 is another side view of an ammunition supply indicator device and a detail of the switching element built into the ammunition supply indicator device,

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of a long firearm that incorporates an ammunition supply indicator device,

FIG. 7 is a side view of a type of cartridge lifter, and

FIG. 8 is a side view of a spring means incorporating an actuator means and a cross section of the magazine incorporating a telescopic extension means.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an ammunition supply indicator device 12 connected to the handle of a firearm 11 such as a short firearm or pistol.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 8, a magazine 21 includes a cartridge lifter 22 or floor plate arranged inside it, that slides in an axial longitudinal direction from an in/out aperture 25 to an end 26 of the magazine 21.

A magnetic actuator means 24 fits into a spring means 23 that pushes the cartridge lifter 22 towards the out aperture 25 and/or into the lifter 22 itself by means of a mechanical and/or chemical fixing means.

The actuator 24 may be incorporable into a telescopic extension means 24A which may be accommodated between the cartridge lifter 22 and the magazine end 26.

With reference to FIG. 7, the actuator 24 such as a magnetic material, i.e., a magnet may be accommodated inside an aperture dimensioned for this purpose in the lifter 22 of the magazine 21.

With reference to FIG. 4, the indicator device 12 includes several receptor means 41 of the magnetic field of the magnetic actuators 24, that are located in the direction of forward movement of the lifter 22 and that measure the intensity of the magnetic field of the actuator 24 as it advances towards the out aperture 25.

Depending on the magazine type and the caliber of the type of cartridge held in the magazine 21, the lifter 22 reaches a determined position in respect of the end 26 or the out aperture 25 of the magazine as a function of the number of cartridges held at any given time.

Consequently, the electrical signals emitted by the actuator depend on the magazine type, the relative position reached by the cartridge lifter 22 after it has moved, the influence in the form of interference caused by the material used to make the structure of the weapon 11 and the magazine 21.

In summary, the distribution of the receptors 41 depends on the arrangement of those elements of the firearm 11 that may affect the measurement of the intensity of the magnetic field and the moveable elements of the weapon 11 itself.

To ensure that the intensity measurement of the magnetic field is reliable and accurate, the magnet 24 may be constrained such that one of its faces remains in direct contact with an internal face of the body of the magazine 21 by means of a second spring means, not shown in FIG. 7.

However, if the weapon is made of materials that do not generate interfere with the measurement of the receptors 41, for example, a high number of components of the weapon 11 are made of non-metallic materials, the magnet 24 may be relatively further away from the receptors 41, and need not be in permanent contact with a wall of the body of the magazine 21.

The receptors 41 of the magnetic field are magnetostatic sensor-type sensors such as a Hall-effect sensor located in the direction of forward movement of the lifter 22.

With reference to FIG. 3, in those firearms 11 that include handle butts, the components of the indicator device 12 may be distributed around the butts establishing the electrical connections between the components that make it possible to output the number of cartridges held in the magazine fitted to the weapon.

Thus, butt of the handle of a weapon 11 may be fitted with the sensors 41 that are excited by the magnetic field of the magnet 24, and that generate electrical signals corresponding to the intensity of the magnetic field detected, that send to a signal processing unit 31 that associates the level of the signals received with a number of cartridges held in the magazine 21.

In response to the electrical signals received from the different sensors 41, the processor 31 performs an instruction selected on the basis of the type of magazine 21 fitted to the weapon 11, to calculate the position of the lifter 22 and on the basis of said calculation it determines the number of cartridges contained in the magazine 21.

In one embodiment the Hall-effect sensors 41 are analog such that when they are excited by the magnetic field they provide an output voltage that is proportional to the magnetic field to which each Hall-effect sensor 41 is exposed, this value being the value analyzed by the processor 31.

The optimum number of receptors 41 installable to achieve reliable detection depends on the type of weapon 11 and the number of cartridges to be checked, the materials used to make the weapon 11, etc.

It should be noted that a supply indicator system includes the magazine 21 that, in turn, includes the magnet 24 and the actual indication device 12 that includes the remainder of the components required to calculate the number of cartridges held in the magazine 21, which is coupleable, for example, to the handle of the weapon 11, FIG. 1, and/or to a socket of the magazine 21 in a long firearm 11, FIG. 6.

The indicator device 12 includes an input/output communications port that makes it possible to reprogram the processor 31 to select the instruction to be performed depending on the type of magazine 21 and/or ammunition used by the weapon 11.

In weapons 11 whose handle does not have butts, the indicator device is configured as an external accessory that surrounds the handle of the firearm, see FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. The indicator device 12 may be made, for example, of a polymer-type material.

Returning to FIG. 6, in long rifle-type weapons, in which the magazine is inserted into a slot and not in the handle, the sensors 41 and the indicator device 12 are designed to be coupleable to the slot of the long weapon.

Returning to FIG. 3, the indicator device 12 includes a source 52 of electrical energy such as a long-life electrical battery that supplies electrical energy to each of the components of the device 12.

The indicator device 12 includes an on/off switching element 51 to minimize the electrical energy drawn by the device 12, see detail in FIG. 5.

The switching element 51 may be a pushbutton that activates the indicator device 12, via the power supply of the Hall-effect sensors 41. The push button 51 can be actuated by the shooter's finger when holding the weapon 11, without him having to make any additional movements.

The indicator device 12 may also be activated by a detector means that detects that the weapon 11 has been fired, for example, by means of a piezoelectric sensor that is activated when a shot is fired such that the indicator device 12 is activated and it calculates the number of cartridges left in the magazine 21.

The analog piezoelectric sensor generates an electrical voltage of a strength proportional to the mechanical vibrations it is subjected to. If the level of said voltage is sufficient, it outputs an electrical signal that is sent to an input of the processor, that determines whether the signal received corresponds to a shot. To do this the microcontroller 31 evaluates the signal such that if, for example, the vibration corresponds to the weapon being dropped, the entire wave is not identified as a shot, and as a result it does not authorize the Hall-effect sensors 41 to be powered.

The indicator device 12 includes a display means to visually display information associated with the number of cartridges in the magazine 21. For example, number of remaining cartridges in the magazine 21, that the number of cartridges is below a given threshold regardless of the maximum number of cartridges that the magazine can hold. The display means may include a warning means that can emit different types of warning signals or alarms to the bearer of the weapon 11.

The display may be an alphanumeric screen that shows different types of alphanumeric messages. And an alarm signal may be a luminous indicator 42 such as an LED which may display different colors or color codes depending on the number of cartridges currently held in the magazine 21, see FIG. 4.

For example, if the last three cartridges held are checked, when the indicator device 12 detects that the lifter 22 is within the zone in which three cartridges are left, the luminous indicator 42 may emit a blue light, a purple light when it detects that two cartridges are left and a red light for just one cartridge. In this case it will only be necessary to check the last cartridges and therefore the Hall-effect sensors 41 are placed in the area adjacent to the upper part of the magazine 21. The positions of the lifter 22 that are closest to the end 26 of the magazine 21 need not be checked by the indicator device 12.

The luminous indicator 42 may also have the function of lighting up when the indicator device 12 is activated, for example, when the weapon is picked up or fired.

The warning means or indicator will be located within the shooter's field of vision, such that he does not have to stop looking at the target to see the indicator. The light emitted by the LED is emitted outwards so that it can be seen by the shooter through a prism so that an LED of lower power may be used.

The luminous intensity emitted by the LED is only visible by the shooter of the firearm 11. To ensure this the luminous device 42 is located inside a casing that creates a radiation cone with an aperture of approximately 60°. The luminous indicator 42 may also include an optical means for detecting the quantity of ambient light, for example, a photodiode, that will act on the level of luminosity of the LED regulating the luminous intensity that it emits.

In the case of long weapons the warning means or indicator 42 may be placed in an area of the weapon that enables the shooter to see it, for example, in the upper area adjacent to the sight of the weapon.

The indicator device 12 is configured as a water-tight module, for this reason, the aforementioned device 12 may be made of plastic material, resin, etc. in which the different components of the indicator 12 are inserted. 

1. An ammunition supply indicator device installable in a firearm, the firearm comprising a magazine that includes several moveable means that slide in a longitudinal axial direction of the magazine; characterized in that the indicator device comprises a specific number of receptor means of the magnetic field generated by several actuator means attached to the moveable means, which output a plurality of electrical signals depending on the relative distribution of the receptor means in relation to the magazine, the type of material used to make the firearm, the type of magazine and the position of the moveable means.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1; wherein the magazine comprises a number of cartridges and characterized in that the indicator device includes a signal processing unit that associates the level of the plurality of electrical signals with the number of cartridges held in the magazine in response to receiving the electrical signals.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 2; characterized in that the number and distribution of the receptor means are not dependent on the type of magazine.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 3; characterized in that the receptor means are located substantially along at least one vertical axis included in at least one vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axial axis of the magazine.
 5. The device as claimed in claim 4; characterized in that the receptor means are distributed and located vertically within at least one vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axial axis of the magazine and parallel to it.
 6. The device as claimed in claim 1; wherein the firearm includes a handle and characterized in that the indicator device is attachable to the handle of the firearm where the magazine is seated.
 7. The device as claimed in claim 1; wherein the firearm includes a socket and characterized in that the indicator device is attachable to the socket of the firearm where the magazine is seated.
 8. The device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the receptor means are magnetic-field sensors.
 9. An ammunition supply magazine of a firearm that includes several moveable means that slide in a longitudinal axial direction of the magazine; characterized in that the moveable means include several actuator means moveable together with the moveable means in a longitudinal axial direction of the magazine so that several receptor means included in an indicator device generate and emit electrical signals as a function of the magnetic field detected by the actuator means.
 10. The magazine as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the actuator means comprise a magnetic material.
 11. The magazine as claimed in claim 9; characterized in that the actuator means are incorporable into a spring means of the magazine.
 12. The magazine as claimed in claim 9; characterized in that the actuator means are incorporable into a lifting means of the magazine.
 13. The magazine as claimed in claim 9; characterized in that the actuator means are incorporable into a telescopic extension means that is accommodated between a lifting means and a magazine end.
 14. (canceled)
 15. A firearm in which a magazine is insertable; characterized in that a firearm ammunition supply indicator device is incorporable in it, where the indicator device includes a specific number of receptor means of the magnetic field generated by several actuator means attached to moveable means, which output a plurality of electrical signals as a function of the relative distribution of the receptor means in respect of the magazine, the type of material used to make the firearm, the magazine and the position of the moveable means.
 16. A computer program loadable into an internal memory of a processing unit with input and output units, wherein the computer program includes executable codes configured to perform the steps of the ammunition supply indication method for a firearm as claimed in claim
 18. 17. The device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the magnetic-field sensors are Hall-effect sensors.
 18. An ammunition supply indicator method for a firearm; the steps comprising: a) measuring by several receptor means the magnetic field generated by several actuator means attachable to several moveable means included in a magazine as a function of the position reached by a cartridge lifter after it has moved; b) generating and emitting by the receptor means electrical signals as a function of the measurements obtained in step a); and c) calculating by a signal processing unit the number of cartridges held in the magazine associated to the position reached by the cartridge lifter. 